Is FXCM better than Interactive Brokers? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, FXCM is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 96 out of 99. Interactive Brokers is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
ForexBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn How We Make Money
Interactive Brokers vs FXCM 2021
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
|
|
|
|
Tight Forex Spreads - Quotes as tight as 1/10 of a pip - View Real-Time Quotes Visit Site
|
||
| Visit Site > |
Overall Rating
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
| Overall | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading Apps | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Trust Score | 99 | 96 |
| Interactive Brokers Review | FXCM Review | |
| 66% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Between 74% of retail CFD accounts lose money | |
| Winner | check_circle |
Regulation
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
| Trust Score | 99 | 96 |
|
Year Founded |
1977 | 1999 |
|
Publicly Traded (Listed) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Bank |
No | No |
|
Tier-1 Licenses |
8 | 3 |
|
Tier-2 Licenses |
1 | 3 |
|
Tier-3 Licenses |
0 | 0 |
|
Authorised in the European Union |
Yes | Yes |
Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust)
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
ASIC Authorised (Australia) |
Yes | Yes |
|
IIROC Authorised (Canada) |
Yes | Yes |
|
SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) |
Yes | No |
|
CBI Authorised (Ireland) |
Yes | No |
|
FSA Authorised (Japan) |
Yes | No |
|
MAS Authorised (Singapore) |
Yes | No |
|
FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) |
Yes | No |
|
FCA Authorised (UK) |
Yes | Yes |
|
CFTC Registered (USA) |
Yes | No |
|
FMA Authorised (New Zealand) |
No | No |
Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust)
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
CBRC Authorised (China) |
No | No |
|
CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) |
No | Yes |
|
SEBI Authorised (India) |
Yes | No |
|
ISA Authorised (Israel) |
No | Yes |
|
CBR Authorised (Russia) |
No | No |
|
FSCA Authorised (South Africa) |
No | Yes |
|
SEC Authorised (Thailand) |
No | No |
|
DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) |
No | No |
Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust)
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No |
| IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No |
|
Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) |
No | No |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No |
|
FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) |
No | No |
|
FSC Authorised (Mauritius) |
No | No |
|
VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) |
No | No |
Investments
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
Forex Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
CFD Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
Tradeable Symbols (Total) |
7400 | 276 |
|
Forex Pairs (Total) |
91 | 42 |
|
US Stock Trading (Non CFD) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
No | Yes |
|
Cryptocurrency (Physical) |
Yes | No |
|
Cryptocurrency (CFD) |
No | Yes |
| Crypto Disclaimer (UK) | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Cost
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard |
0.6 (From 09/25/21 - 10/02/21) | 1.4 (Q2 2020) |
|
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active |
0.6 (From 09/25/21 - 10/02/21) | 1.1 (Q2 2020) |
|
Active Trader or VIP Discounts |
Yes | Yes |
|
Execution: Agency Broker |
Yes | Yes |
|
Execution: Market Maker |
No | Yes |
Funding
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
Minimum Deposit |
$0 | Starts from $50 |
|
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) |
No | Yes |
|
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) |
No | No |
|
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) |
No | Yes |
Trading Platforms
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
Proprietary Platform |
Yes | Yes |
|
Desktop Platform (Windows) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Web Platform |
Yes | Yes |
|
Social Trading / Copy-Trading |
No | Yes |
|
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) |
No | Yes |
|
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) |
No | No |
|
cTrader |
No | No |
|
DupliTrade |
No | No |
|
ZuluTrade |
No | Yes |
Trading Tools
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
Virtual Trading (Demo) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
|
Watchlists - Total Fields |
651 | 12 |
|
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) |
127 | 57 |
|
Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) |
9 | 26 |
|
Charting - Trade From Chart |
Yes | Yes |
|
Charting - Drawings Autosave |
Yes | Yes |
Mobile Trading
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
Android App |
Yes | Yes |
|
Apple iOS App |
Yes | Yes |
|
Alerts - Basic Fields |
Yes | Yes |
|
Watch List |
Yes | Yes |
|
Watch List Syncing |
Yes | Yes |
|
Charting - Indicators / Studies |
98 | 59 |
|
Charting - Draw Trendlines |
No | Yes |
|
Charting - Trendlines Moveable |
No | Yes |
|
Charting - Multiple Time Frames |
Yes | Yes |
|
Charting - Drawings Autosave |
No | Yes |
|
Forex Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Research
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
Daily Market Commentary |
Yes | Yes |
|
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Autochartist |
No | Yes |
|
Trading Central (Recognia) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Delkos Research |
No | No |
|
Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs |
Yes | Yes |
|
Economic Calendar |
Yes | Yes |
Education
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
Has Education - Forex or CFDs |
Yes | Yes |
|
Client Webinars |
Yes | Yes |
|
Client Webinars (Archived) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos |
Yes | Yes |
|
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos |
Yes | Yes |
|
Investor Dictionary (Glossary) |
Yes | Yes |
Major Forex Pairs
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
|
GBP/USD |
Yes | Yes |
|
USD/JPY |
Yes | Yes |
|
EUR/USD |
Yes | Yes |
|
USD/CHF |
Yes | Yes |
|
USD/CAD |
Yes | Yes |
|
NZD/USD |
Yes | Yes |
|
AUD/USD |
Yes | Yes |
Overall
| Feature | Interactive Brokers | FXCM |
| Overall | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading Apps | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Trust Score | 99 | 96 |
| Interactive Brokers Review | FXCM Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare FXCM vs Interactive Brokers.
Does FXCM or Interactive Brokers offer lower pricing?
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, Interactive Brokers offers better pricing overall for traders.
Is FXCM or Interactive Brokers safer for forex and CFDs trading?
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Interactive Brokers holds 8 global Tier-1 licenses, while FXCM holds 3. FXCM holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while Interactive Brokers holds 1. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, Interactive Brokers earned a higher Trust Score than FXCM.
Which trading platform is better: FXCM or Interactive Brokers?
To compare the trading platforms of both FXCM and Interactive Brokers, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Interactive Brokers offers a better experience. With research, Interactive Brokers offers superior market research. Finally, we found Interactive Brokers to provide better mobile trading apps.
What about MetaTrader and copy trading?
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. While FXCM offers copy trading, Interactive Brokers does not. FXCM offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while Interactive Brokers does not.
How many forex pairs and CFDs are available to trade?
Interactive Brokers provides traders 91 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to FXCM's 42 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, Interactive Brokers offers traders access to 7400 CFDs while FXCM has 276 available CFDs, a difference of 7,124.
Can I trust FXCM?
FXCM's parent company is publicly-traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by three tier-1 regulators (high trust), three tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). FXCM is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and via Friedberg Direct, with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).
Can I trust Interactive Brokers?
Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by eight tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). Interactive Brokers is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Is FXCM good?
For traders who appreciate advanced trading tools and quality market research, FXCM is a winner, especially for algorithmic trading. Its range of tradeable markets is fairly narrow, however, and the pricing at FXCM is just average.
Is Interactive Brokers good?
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.
Overall winner: Interactive Brokers
Read Next: Best Forex Brokers 2022
Related Comparisons
- FXCM vs. CMC Markets
- FXCM vs. IG
- FXCM vs. Pepperstone
- FXCM vs. XTB
- Interactive Brokers vs. IG
- Interactive Brokers vs. OANDA
- Interactive Brokers vs. Saxo Bank
- Interactive Brokers vs. TD Ameritrade
Trading CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies involves a high degree of risk. All providers have a percentage of retail investor accounts that lose money when trading CFDs with their company. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money and whether you understand how CFDs, FX, and cryptocurrencies work. All data was obtained from a published website as of 01/10/2022 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. The ForexBrokers.com staff is constantly working with its online broker representatives to obtain the latest data. If you believe any data listed above is inaccurate, please contact us using the "Contact" link at the bottom of this page.
The names, products, services, branding/logos, and other trademarks or images featured or cited within this website (www.forexbrokers.com) are the property of their respective owners and the owners retain all legal rights therein. These trademark holders are not affiliated with ForexBrokers.com and the use or display of names, trademarks or service marks of another is not a representation that the other is affiliated with, sponsors, or endorses ForexBrokers.com or any of its reviews, products, or services. ForexBrokers.com declares no affiliation, sponsorship, nor any partnership with any trademark holders unless otherwise stated.
Reink Media Group (Ireland) ltd is acting in a capacity of a marketing affiliate of FXCM EU LTD.
